Effect of Water Absorption During Deep Ocean Submersion

Engineering plastics and composites are being used for an increasingly wide range of deep-ocean devices including remotely-operated underwater vehicles, marine-grade electrical cable connectors, and undersea sensors.

This investigation immersed samples of 20 engineering plastics and composites in pressurized artificial seawater using laboratory pressure vessels, simulating the hydrostatic pressure associated with an ocean depth of 3500 meters.

In this technical research report you will find:

• Benefits of semi-crystalline thermoplastics and composites for marine applications
• Thermoplastic material results with water absorption
  and mechanical properties as a function of immersion time
• The effects of hydrostatic pressure on dimensional and mechanical properties
• Discussion about thermoplastics and composites with relatively high water absorption

About Röchling Industrial

The Röchling Group is one of the world's leading plastics processing companies. With a workforce of around 11,500 people and 90 locations in 25 countries the Group’s three divisions Industrial, Automotive and Medical generated joint annual sales of 2.352 billion euros in 2019. The division Röchling Industrial, to which Röchling Engineering Plastics in Gastonia belongs, develops and supplies individual products made of plastic for all industrial areas offering a broad product range of thermoplastics and composite materials available as semi-finished products and machined components.